Okay, This one is a long one, to describe conditions and set up requirements. Cue The Rolling Stone's I Can't Get No Satisfaction. Have went through two hat types this week, neither satisfactory. The problem is variable weather conditions.
First choice is the classic Panama Hat, a tight-weaved narrow straw Fedora. This was my choice starting last Sunday due to summertime scattered showers. While it lets some breezes through, it feels surprisingly hot. Before the showers started, the area around the brim was well soaked with sweat. When it did start to rain, it kept it off my head and out of my eyes, but the straw became soaked. Managed to put it where it could dry and keep it's shape, but, of course, it has staining starting around the brim. This is what does in my Panama Hats for dressier wear.
The mornings the first of the week were cool enough for jackets (low 50s Fahrenheit/ low teens Celsius), which ruled out my well ventilated lifeguard/farmer type straw hat that I usually wear this time of year until I have to put on my hard hat. The Panama worked well enough in the mornings, though it let in enough breeze that it wasn't a perfect choice. By late afternoon we were back into early summer time temperatures (about 90° Fahrenheit/32° Celsius), and the Panama worked somewhat well.
In the latter part of the week, mornings were warm enough (mid 60s Fahrenheit/upper teens Celsius) that I got by with the straw lifeguard/farmer hat. It has a nice, wide, brim for descent shade, with ventilation holes in the crown. Then came the sudden shower. We're talking about the sudden downburst. Not the heaviest we get, but enough for windshield wipers on low. Here the disadvantages showed. This type of wide straw doesn't seem to take moisture as well as a Panama, and the open ventilation lets the rain right on in. That relatively brief exposure had the potential of more damage to the hat than to the Panama. Fortunately (this exact style, a bit dressier that the typical style and is hard to find locally now), I was able to hang it up and let it dry while it retained its shape.
Next week's forecast might be dry, but with temperatures near 100° Fahrenheit/38° Celsius. If it doesn't rain, the straw lifeguard/farmer hat will work just fine. And yes, we've had showers and thunderstorms with higher temperatures.
In my younger days, I wore a baseball cap and let it go, sunburned ears and neck and all. Caught in the rain? The brim kept it out of the eyes while the rest got drenched. I was already trying wider brims in my early twenties, and they seem to work better, and I guess the full brim hardhats spoiled me. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a single hat type that works for these variable summertime conditions.
Last night I mentioned the pith helmet again, and the family wasn't happy with that at all due to the costume effect. But it has a rigid shape which would hold up in the rain. I've looked at the local boonie hats, and they're just too floppy and have insufficient ventilation. I don't see them working well in a sudden soaker. The mesh crown type had a wide rigid brim and solid top, and the mesh provides ventilation, but I don't know how it would do in the rain.
That leaves me stumped. I suspect the hat I want may not exist; a wide brim, rigid enough to take the rain, and comfortable in temperatures from 50° Fahrenheit/10° Celsius to over 105° Fahrenheit/40° Celsius.
Any suggestions?
First choice is the classic Panama Hat, a tight-weaved narrow straw Fedora. This was my choice starting last Sunday due to summertime scattered showers. While it lets some breezes through, it feels surprisingly hot. Before the showers started, the area around the brim was well soaked with sweat. When it did start to rain, it kept it off my head and out of my eyes, but the straw became soaked. Managed to put it where it could dry and keep it's shape, but, of course, it has staining starting around the brim. This is what does in my Panama Hats for dressier wear.
The mornings the first of the week were cool enough for jackets (low 50s Fahrenheit/ low teens Celsius), which ruled out my well ventilated lifeguard/farmer type straw hat that I usually wear this time of year until I have to put on my hard hat. The Panama worked well enough in the mornings, though it let in enough breeze that it wasn't a perfect choice. By late afternoon we were back into early summer time temperatures (about 90° Fahrenheit/32° Celsius), and the Panama worked somewhat well.
In the latter part of the week, mornings were warm enough (mid 60s Fahrenheit/upper teens Celsius) that I got by with the straw lifeguard/farmer hat. It has a nice, wide, brim for descent shade, with ventilation holes in the crown. Then came the sudden shower. We're talking about the sudden downburst. Not the heaviest we get, but enough for windshield wipers on low. Here the disadvantages showed. This type of wide straw doesn't seem to take moisture as well as a Panama, and the open ventilation lets the rain right on in. That relatively brief exposure had the potential of more damage to the hat than to the Panama. Fortunately (this exact style, a bit dressier that the typical style and is hard to find locally now), I was able to hang it up and let it dry while it retained its shape.
Next week's forecast might be dry, but with temperatures near 100° Fahrenheit/38° Celsius. If it doesn't rain, the straw lifeguard/farmer hat will work just fine. And yes, we've had showers and thunderstorms with higher temperatures.
In my younger days, I wore a baseball cap and let it go, sunburned ears and neck and all. Caught in the rain? The brim kept it out of the eyes while the rest got drenched. I was already trying wider brims in my early twenties, and they seem to work better, and I guess the full brim hardhats spoiled me. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a single hat type that works for these variable summertime conditions.
Last night I mentioned the pith helmet again, and the family wasn't happy with that at all due to the costume effect. But it has a rigid shape which would hold up in the rain. I've looked at the local boonie hats, and they're just too floppy and have insufficient ventilation. I don't see them working well in a sudden soaker. The mesh crown type had a wide rigid brim and solid top, and the mesh provides ventilation, but I don't know how it would do in the rain.
That leaves me stumped. I suspect the hat I want may not exist; a wide brim, rigid enough to take the rain, and comfortable in temperatures from 50° Fahrenheit/10° Celsius to over 105° Fahrenheit/40° Celsius.
Any suggestions?